1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to device interfaces and ports (collectively referred to herein as xe2x80x9cportsxe2x80x9d) for peripheral devices that may be used within automobiles, or other vehicles, and, more particularly, to a peripheral device port that is configured to be integrated with a cigarette lighter port or power port typically found in motor vehicles today.
2. Description of Related Art
A common dilemma within the automotive manufacturing industry today is the ability to react quickly to changes in consumer preferences and deal with multiple consumer devices that may be made by various manufacturers. In the past, automotive manufacturing companies (OEM""s) have typically taken between two and four years, from conception to product launch, to integrate a consumer-desired feature into a vehicle. Typically, the process of integrating a new feature within a vehicle requires custom packaging, hardening of the electronics for durability and longevity, and rigorous testing to ensure that customers"" expectations of quality and functionality for OEM installed equipment are met. Because of this delay in the OEM manufacturing process, it is often difficult for OEM""s to keep apace with the rapid advancements in technology that become available in the interim period. Consequently, it is often the case that a xe2x80x9cfactory installedxe2x80x9d device, which has been integrated into the vehicle by the OEM manufacturer, is or becomes outdated technology shortly after the automobile is placed into the marketplace.
Aftermarket electronic manufacturers do not suffer from the same constraints as the OEM and as such, tend to have a lower expectation from consumers in terms of quality, longevity and price. For example, a consumer may be willing to put up with less functional integration with the vehicle in return for the latest technology. These consumers are generally referred to as xe2x80x9cearly adopters.xe2x80x9d Additionally, consumer electronic products typically have a significantly shorter product life than the vehicle in which it may be installed. By the time an automotive manufacturer can integrate a product into its vehicles and bring the product to market, the product may be out of date and/or may no longer be supported by its original manufacturer or support infrastructure.
Automotive manufacturers, to date, have failed in their attempts to integrate consumer grade electronics into their vehicles and keep pace with the latest advancements in technology. Aftermarket products such as hands-free car kits for cellular phones have had some limited success but are either poorly integrated into the vehicle, limiting their functionality, or too obtrusive and invasive to be accepted by large numbers of consumers. Many attempts have been made to form a cooperative standard between the aftermarket community and the OEMs. To date, no product has been brought to market that shares a standardized interface recognized by both the OEMs and the aftermarket vendors. For example, a limited number of OEMs have marketed hands-free cellular phone options but not in a form that aftermarket suppliers can design too. Additionally, aftermarket hands-free kits are unique to either a particular cellular phone brand or a particular supplier""s standards.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,212,415 B1 to Demuro et al. discloses a power adapter configured to be plugged into a cigarette lighter or other power source of a vehicle, having a first connector configured to be coupled to an external antenna and a second connector configured to be coupled to a communication device (e.g., a cellular telephone). The Demuro power adapter device plugs into a traditional cigarette lighter port and utilizes traditional power and ground connections within the cigarette lighter port to provide transformed power to the communication device. The external antenna port is not integrated into the cigarette lighter port but is provided on the adapter itself, requiring that a second wire or connection be made by the user to connect his or her communication device to an external antenna. This approach is not only clumsy and cumbersome for a user desiring to use a cellular phone within his or her vehicle but requires that multiple wires be connected and exposed in the passenger cabin of the vehicle. Consequently, this approach has proven too obtrusive and invasive to receive wide acceptance among consumers who desire to use communication devices in their automobiles.
Other approaches to providing peripheral device ports within vehicles have been difficult to implement for OEMs, requiring significant retooling, redesign and added costs to the manufacturing process. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,079 to Miyazaki et al. discloses providing multiple side-connectors within the cabin of the vehicle to connect to a variety of peripheral devices. These side-connectors do not take advantage of the existing port space provided by standard cigarette lighters or power ports already existing within vehicles today, and, therefore, require substantial retooling and redesign of the interior cabin and panels of vehicles. Additionally, because of the relatively complex nature of the interface design, the system of Miyazaki et al. provides limited flexibility and compatibility of operation with peripheral devices manufactured by third party vendors.
In view of the foregoing, there exists a need for a method and device that will allow automobiles to easily interface with the latest consumer grade aftermarket electronic devices, requiring minimal retooling, redesign and added costs to the OEM manufacturing process. There exists a need for a method and device to easily and unobtrusively integrate aftermarket products into vehicles and provide an elegant interface that is easily adoptable by both OEMs and aftermarket vendors. There also exists a need for a method and device that will allow consumers to easily connect aftermarket devices to available electrical signals within the vehicle without requiring a cumbersome connection process and unnecessary wires which clutter the cabin of the vehicle. As used herein, the terms xe2x80x9caftermarket productxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9caftermarket devicexe2x80x9d refer to products and devices that are not integrated into the vehicle by the OEM manufacturer. The terms xe2x80x9caftermarket vendor,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9caftermarket supplier,xe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9caftermarket manufacturerxe2x80x9d refer to manufacturers of aftermarket products and devices and may be third party manufacturers or the OEMs themselves.
The invention addresses the above and other needs by providing a peripheral device port and associated connector which allow aftermarket peripheral devices to easily and unobtrusively interface with the electrical systems and signals that are available within an automobile. The device port is integrated with an existing cigarette lighter or power port of an automobile. In one preferred embodiment, in addition to providing the traditional functions of a cigarette lighter and power supply, this port may provide vehicle interface signals such as ignition sensor signals, radio mute, audio in, airbag sensor, odometer pulse, fuel level, cellular antenna, GPS antenna, or any other signals that may be available within the automobile, so as to provide a peripheral device port capable of interfacing with one or more aftermarket products that utilize one or more of the vehicle interface signals mentioned above. Aftermarket devices utilizing the access port of the present invention may be as varied as hands-free kits for wireless telephones, GPS navigation devices, onboard computing devices, wireless internet devices, radios, CD players, etc., as well as future aftermarket devices which have heretofore not been developed. In a preferred embodiment, the traditional functions of the cigarette lighter and the power port with current aftermarket products, such as cellular phone chargers, for example, will remain unaffected.
As consumer electronic devices change or new devices emerge, only the associated port needs to be modified by the OEM to accommodate the new or changed application. This frees the OEM from trying to anticipate the necessary interfaces, packaging and retention methods normally associated with regular production options. By utilizing the existing location of the cigarette lighter or power port of a vehicle, OEMs are now capable of immediately offering the interface capability without waiting for a vehicle update cycle to change the instrument panel or console tooling in order to accommodate package space and retention mechanisms.
Thus, one of the advantages provided by the present invention is that it allows the OEM to easily provide access to critical vehicle interface signals necessary for third party products without substantially affecting either the OEM tooling for customer visible surfaces such as an instrument panel. Additionally, the present invention eliminates the need for aftermarket installers to splice into existing vehicle wiring or cut into the instrument panel or dashboard to xe2x80x9cinstallxe2x80x9d aftermarket products. Additionally, any required changes to accommodate new or changed product specifications that occur during the OEM manufacturing cycle may be easily addressed by the OEM without significant retooling or redesign of the manufacturing process.